A History of Architecture
by A Carter
Summary: Ryan's gotten a little better about his hero complex, but everyone knows college life isn't easy.
1. Chapter 1

Ryan peeked into the nursery, checking to see that Sophie was still sleeping soundly; he smiled to himself while listening to her steady breathing. Content that she was safe, he headed back downstairs to his books. Midterms were coming up next week, and his exams were going to be hard; studying to be an architect was a lot of work. He loved it though; he loved challenging himself, and the fact that he was working so hard for something instilled him with a sense of quiet pride. This babysitting gig was perfect for him, too; he got away from the noisy dorms and Sophie's naps created the perfect time to study.

He sat down on the couch, pulling a heavy "History of Architecture" textbook into his lap. He was ready to skim the highlights when his cell phone rang. He looked at the ID and shook his head.

"Seth. I've talked to you three times today. What could you possibly have left to tell me?" Seth sounded affronted on the other end.

"Can't a guy just call another guy without having something to day?"

"No, man. He cannot," Ryan answered simply.

"Dude, I miss our Seth/Ryan time. Why isn't it next weekend already?" Seth whined into his cell phone. Ryan smiled to himself; next weekend, after his midterms were done, he was flying to Rhode Island to visit Seth at RISD. He hadn't been there yet, and was excited to see Seth in his new environment.

"Good question, man. I still have three midterms to get through, plus a paper and a lab rep-,"

"That sucks, Ryan, but back to me for a second." Ryan barely even blinked at this interruption, used to being cut off by Seth. "I have to "broaden my portfolio," according to my self-righteous advisor, keep my psycho roommate out of the room as much as possible, and my girlfriend is surrounded by Che-like characters while she's off saving the world," Seth complained. "College is complicated." Ryan let out a wry laugh.

"You're telling me." Ryan was once again interrupted, but this time by a loud crying coming from upstairs. "Oh, Seth, Sophie's awake. I've gotta go." Ryan hung up his phone, not even bothering to wait for Seth's response.

He entered the nursery, in all its pink glory. Looking down into the crib, he saw his little sister staring back up at him, her face red and splotchy from all her yelling.

"Hello, Trouble! Did you have a nice nap?" Sophie gurgled. "Are you hungry? I'll bet you are! Let's get you some supper. Up you go!" Ryan picked up the three-month-old, tucking her carefully into the crook of his arm. Carrying her downstairs, he put her in her high chair and started to prepare her bottle. Again, his cell phone rang. He didn't even bother to check the ID, "Seth…can't you wait five minutes?" A voice very unlike Seth's answered from the other line, seeming to come from far away.

"Ryan? It's Taylor." Ryan almost dropped the phone. This call was very much unexpected. He and Taylor had tried really hard for the first month they were apart, but they just weren't cut out for a long distance relationship. Taylor was enjoying her freedom in France, and Ryan was testing the waters of adulthood at Berkeley, and they had finally come to the conclusion that it was just best to put the relationship on the back burner for a little while. There had been a few awkward phone calls at first, but for the past two months, they hadn't really communicated except for the occasional e-mail.

"Hey, Taylor. What's going on?" Ryan asked, squeezing the phone between his ear and shoulder as he fed the baby.

"Nothing much. I just…wanted to talk to you."

"Oh, okay," he replied. There was a moment of awkward silence. Ryan knew that Taylor obviously needed something, because no one in their right mind would put up with this kind of phone call just to chat.

"Actually, I was hoping you could do me a favor," Taylor said from the other end of the line.

"Sure. What do you need?"


	2. Chapter 2

"I don't really know how to explain it without sounding like a total psycho," she began. Ryan almost laughed.

"Taylor, I think we're way beyond that point. What do you need?" he asked her, almost impatiently. He had been looking forward to this uninterrupted study time, and now he had to deal with a hungry baby and an awkward phone call with his maybe kind of ex-girlfriend.

"Okay. Well, actually, it's about Henri-Michel," Taylor began. Ryan rolled his eyes. Taylor's French ex-husband had thrown a wrench in their relationship once before, and Ryan wasn't happy to hear that Taylor had been spending time with him. Technically they weren't together, but that didn't mean he had to like the guy. "He's flying there – to Newport, to talk to my mom. He wants to "do it right this time," he says." Taylor hesitated, before blurting out, "He's asking my mom for her permission to marry me."

"What?" sputtered Ryan. "You're marrying him again?" He was angry. Angrier than he thought he'd be. He understood that Taylor was going to date other guys in France, and he knew, too, that he had the option to see other girls at Berkeley, but this was ridiculous. It had been two months, and she was considering marrying another guy? And not just any guy, but Henri-Michel? Again?

"No, no! Not at all. He's being his old self, all these romantic notions in his head. I don't have any intention of marrying him. He thinks he'll win me over with this sweeping gesture."

"Well, did you do anything to convince him that it might happen for you two again?" Ryan asked. By this point, Sophie had been fed, and he was pacing back and forth in the kitchen, trying to coax a burp out of her. There was silence on the other end of the line. "Taylor?"

"Something…happened. Right after we – you and I- decided to stop trying. I know there's no excuse, but I was upset, and he was there. It meant nothing to me, Ryan, but it happened. And now he thinks that I want it…us…to happen again." Ryan placed Sophie back in her high chair, and sat down at the counter with his head in his hands.

"What do you want from me, Taylor?" he asked, resigned. Letting her go had been hard enough. Hearing she had gone straight back to Henri-Michel was torturous.

"I need you to stop him, Ryan. Set him straight. My mom's trying to get on my good side, she'll agree with him if he convinces her it's what I want," Taylor pled with him. She added, with a bit more force, "He's not what I want, Ryan."

"Let me get this straight. You want me to go to Newport, intercept Henri-Michel before he tells your mom he wants to marry you, and convince him that you don't love him? That's asking a lot, Taylor. Not to mention it sounds kind of familiar," Ryan said. Since college, Ryan's hero complex had pretty much taken a back seat. He was finally safe in an environment that nurtured him, with his family at home or with his friends in the dorm. He was busy having a life; focusing on his studies, spending time with his new sister, making new friends. There was drama, to be sure, but people here knew how to take care of themselves. It was refreshing.

"I know, Ryan. I know. But I really need your help," Taylor was practically pleading with him on the other end of the line.

"I'm sorry, Taylor. I can't," and with that, Ryan hung up the phone. He sat at the counter in silence for a minute before picking his cell phone back up. He dialed #1 on his speed dial and waited for the person on the other end to pick up.

"Seth? No, be quiet. It's my turn to talk now."


	3. Chapter 3

"She asked you to do what?" Seth spat indignantly into the phone. He had never had a problem with Taylor and Ryan being together before this, even when they decided to break up. Seth knew it truly was mutual; 6,000 miles was just too much. Besides, despite her neurotic tendencies and the crazy French ex-husband, she was the one who had saved Ryan when he and his parents couldn't, and Seth couldn't forget that. But this…this had gone too far. It didn't help that he hadn't talked to Summer in over two weeks and he needed someone else's drama to focus on at the moment, but regardless of the reason, Ryan was grateful for the support. It was nice to know he wasn't the only one who thought Taylor was a complete psycho.

"I know. I didn't even know what to say," said Ryan. He had placed Sophie on the rug in the living room and sunk into the cushions of the couch, rubbing his eyes with his hand. He and Seth discussed Taylor's request in serious detail for the next forty-five minutes until Sophie, tired of being ignored, rectified the situation by screaming at the top of her little, but very powerful, lungs. "Hey man, the little one's making trouble. I'll talk to you later." He went to snap his cell phone shut, but stopped when he heard Seth's voice on the other end.

"Hey, wait, Ryan-will you do me a favor?" He took Ryan's silence on the other end as confirmation. "Tell Sophie to not grow up to be a psycho and marry a crazy French guy. That Seth tells her to." Ryan smiled.

"I will."

Ryan didn't get much studying done over the next few hours. Between entertaining Sophie and thinking about Taylor, he groaned in frustration when he heard the front door open and realized that he hadn't really accomplished much of everything.

"Hi, Ryan. How'd the babysitting go?" asked Kirsten as she came around the corner, throwing her coat on the arm of the couch and kissing her middle child on the cheek.

"Fine, fine. She was great. She's upstairs; I put her to bed about an hour and a half ago," he explained. Kirsten headed up the stairs to go check on her daughter, and Ryan turned to find Sandy approaching him.

"Hiya, kid. What's new?" Sandy asked, as he clapped Ryan on the shoulder.

"Not too much. Lots of studying, you know how it is," Ryan smiled. He walked around the living room, bending down every once in a while to pick up a toy of Sophie's that had gotten strewn about in their games.

"Looking forward to visiting Seth next weekend?" Sandy asked him.

"Yeah, definitely. How was dinner?"

"It was good. Not exactly Kirsten's cooking, but it was good." Both men smiled, for they remembered fondly the days that Kirsten's cookbook had been a book full of take-out menus, until she had decided to actually learn how to find her way around a kitchen. Sandy and Ryan continued their chit chat, discussing school and work (Sandy was actually considering taking a job at Berkeley as a law professor, something he asked Ryan's opinion on), Sandy got around to asking Ryan about the ladies.

"Hear from Taylor lately?" Sandy questioned cautiously. Depending on his mood, Ryan reacted to Taylor questions differently – usually with an indifferent, silent shrug or an angry, silent shrug. Ryan shrugged indifferently.

"Today, actually. Not much new to report," he lied, not really wanting to discuss it with Sandy. It had been in the forefront of his mind for the past few hours, and he just wanted to forget about it.

"You're lying, kid. Talk to me," Ryan had forgotten that Sandy Cohen had a sixth sense about things like this. Luckily, he was saved by the phone ringing. "Hello?" Sandy answered. "Oh! Okay, thanks for calling. Yeah, we'll be there soon. Bye!" Ryan looked at the older man questioningly.

"What's going on?"

"Go find Kirsten and tell her to get the baby ready to go out. We're going to the hospital," Sandy directed Ryan as he rushed to find the keys to the car.

"Why?" asked Ryan, confused.

"Julie's having the baby. Ready for your little brother?" Sandy asked, smilingly. The blood drained from Ryan's face. This had been a long day.


	4. Chapter 4

Sandy, Ryan, Kirsten, and Sophie stood around Julie's hospital bed, beaming at the newborn in her arms. Joshua Cooper Bullit was very pink and his face was a little squished-looking, kind of like a boxer. Sandy put it perfectly when he called him "a born fighter; an Atwood, all right."

"Yeah, he's quiet, too," said Julie, smiling. Her new son slept soundlessly in her arms. The room settled into a comfortable silence as the Cohens admired the new life. Ten minutes had gone by until a familiar voice rang throughout the room.

"Bang!" Gordon Bullit entered the room, followed closely by Kaitlyn. "Howdy, folks! Come to meet the little one? Ain't he somethin'?"

"Bullit, you'll wake the baby," Julie said, trying to sound stern, but this was betrayed by the fact that she was smiling broadly. She couldn't remember a time when everything in her life was so solid and dependable. A few months back, when Frank had left for a job in Chicago, and Julie had refused to go with him, Bullit had reentered the picture. It was then that Julie realized that he never should have been out of it in the first place. It wasn't the money, or even that he was so good with Kaitlyn, though those helped. It was the fact that he loved her and took the time and effort to sweep her off of her feet. He had even been the one to suggest they move to Berkeley when Julie was depressed about the Cohens leaving. What more could a girl ask for? She rewarded him for his efforts with a thirteenth mini-Bullit.

"Can I hold him?" asked Kaitlyn, reaching out her hands.

"Of course, sweetie," Julie said, handing him over. Kaitlyn carried him over to Kirsten, who held Sophie, and formally introduced the two.

"Josh, this is Sophie. Now, Summer is probably going to scheme to get you two together someday, so I just wanted to introduce you now so you can make that choice on your own," she explained. Everyone chuckled.

"Ryan, would you like to hold him?" Julie asked, staring intently at him. He didn't know what to say. He was happy for Julie and Bullit, and he knew Kaitlyn was excited about a new little brother. He just didn't know exactly where he stood in the matter. Technically, they shared blood, but he wasn't really a member of the family. Besides, he had Sophie. How many little siblings did he need? Julie seemed to understand what he was feeling. She nodded at him. "It's okay, really." He reached out to Kaitlyn and took Josh from her. He didn't know quite what he expected, but it wasn't this. He didn't feel a rush of brotherly affection, or overwhelming emotion toward the Atwood family; he just felt weird. He was holding the half-brother of his dead ex-girlfriend, who happened to be his half-brother too. He realized that he had never really dealt with that fact, though he was sure if Seth were around he'd bring it up constantly. After a few moments of silence, he spoke.

"He looks like you," he said to Julie. "And Marissa, too." She smiled.

Sandy and Kirsten stood off to the side, watching Ryan carefully. They knew this moment was a bit heavy for him. They knew he thought Marissa should be there to meet her new brother. They knew he was unsure who he was in relation to this new life. But they knew, too, that his comment about who Josh resembled was stronger than it seemed on the surface. Kirsten silently reveled in Ryan's slight rejection of his Atwood side; Sandy thought about the change in Ryan since moving to Berkeley. He was calmer, looser, less guarded. He was allowing himself to fit unquestioningly into the Cohens'- and his – new life. They liked it. And not that either of them would admit it, or deny Ryan's parents the right to see him, but they were always a bit uncomfortable around Dawn and Frank. They were a part of Ryan's past, one that he would rather forget, and frankly Sandy and Kirsten didn't feel like sharing Ryan's present with them. They wanted him to themselves, quite justifiably so. They had saved him, and he them.

"Okay, folks, Mom and Baby need rest," said a nurse as he entered from the hallway outside. "You can come back tomorrow." The Cohens gathered around for one last goodbye. Ryan approached Kaitlyn.

"Your turn to be the big sister," he grinned at her.

"I'm going to be such a good role model," she teased back at him.

"Uh huh," Ryan said, hugging her goodbye. "We'll see, Cooper." Sandy approached Bullit.

"Gordon," he said, shaking his hand, "congratulations again. We couldn't be happier for you."

"Thanks, Sand-man. Now, go on, get outta here. Gotta start tryin' for number 14! Bang!" On that note, the Cohens, now with a very cranky Sophie, headed back outside.

"Here, let me take her," Ryan said to Kirsten. As usual, she stopped fussing as soon as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Every time…" said Sandy, shaking his head. "So, kid, what are you thinking about? You seem preoccupied."

"I just realized…I still need to study for my architecture midterm." This elicited a chuckle from Sandy and Kirsten, who put her arm around Ryan.

"We'll put a pot of coffee on when we get home and we promise you peace and quiet. How's that sound?"

"Sounds good," he said, as the four of them got into the car and headed for home.


	5. Chapter 5

Ryan woke up to the blaring alarm clock, almost knocking it off the bed post as he reached for it. He glanced over at his roommate, who grunted a few choice words before rolling over and becoming silent again.

"Alex, man, time to wake up," Ryan yawned as he pushed back his blanket and stretched his arms over his head. "One more class and then it's a long weekend!" He got up, half-heartedly smoothed the rumpled covers, flipped on the lights, and made his way over to his desk. There he checked his calendar, smiling at the date. After his class ended at 9, Sandy was driving him to the airport to fly to Rhode Island. After a rough week of midterms, which had ended yesterday for him (this morning for Alex), he was going to spend the weekend with his best friend. Stress and drama-free!

"Dude, when's your flight again?" Alex muttered from under his pillow, which he had placed over his head to block out the light.

"Eleven. Why?" Ryan asked.

"Nothing…just wondering when it's cool to invite Jessica over," Alex pulled back the pillow and grinned at his friend.

"Hey, you have the room to yourself this weekend. Go crazy. Just…stay on your side, please," Ryan answered.

"Mmm…nope. To punish you for leaving me all alone this weekend, we're only going to use your bed."

"You do, and I kill you," Ryan threatened playfully. He had lucked out in the roommate department; Alex was a very chill kid, also from southern California, and they got along really well. They shared a lot of the same friends and a few of the same classes, so it was a very agreeable arrangement.

"Oh, shut it, Chino," Alex replied, finally getting himself out of bed. He grabbed his stuff and headed to the bathroom. Ryan checked his e-mail, sorting through the various university announcements until he found one that caught his eye.

"You've got to be kidding me…" he muttered. Shaking his head in disbelief, he hit the print button and placed the sheet in his backpack, reminding himself to show Seth later.

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"You ready, kid?" Ryan nodded, placing his suitcase into the back of the car. "So, can you see me teaching here?" Sandy asked, looking around at his alma mater.

"Yeah, I really can," Ryan replied truthfully.

"Good," Sandy said. "I can't believe I start next semester. It all seems so fast, doesn't it?"

"You'll be great."

"Thanks." Sandy smiled. "It's still amazing to see you here. Do you like it?"

"Sandy, you know I do."

"Just checking."

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"Okay, so Kirsten wanted me to give this to you. She asks you to please give it to Seth. She also made you this, so you won't get hungry on the plane. And she wanted me to give you this book, she said she liked it and thought you would to," Sandy explained as he and Ryan were waiting in the check-in line. "And call us when you get there, so we know you arrived safely, and every once in a while over the weekend would make us feel us a lot better, too."

"Sandy, I'm going to Rhode Island. Not Iraq. I'll be fine," Ryan said, stuffing the goody bag into his backpack. He noticed the e-mail from earlier.

"So you're not nervous?" Sandy asked. Ryan looked up quickly from the piece of paper, zipping his bag.

"Nervous? Why? Because I've never flown before?" Sandy nodded. "No, I'm good." Sandy looked at him skeptically, but then nodded his assent.

"Alright, kid, then here's where I leave you. Promise you'll call?" Ryan nodded, and Sandy pulled him in for a hug. "I'll see you on Sunday."

"See you then. Tell Kirsten and Sophie I say bye," Ryan replied.

"Already done."

"Thanks. Take care."

"You, too." Ryan turned to walk through security, boarding pass in hand. "Hey, Ryan!" Sandy called. Ryan turned around. "We love you." Ryan grinned sheepishly.

"You, too, Sandy."

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"Ryan, my man!" Seth called as soon as he saw the stocky blonde emerge from the gate.

"Hey, Seth," Ryan answered, as they greeted each other with a quick hug.

"Are you ready for a weekend of non-stop partying, drug-using, and sex-having?" Seth chattered away as they left the airport. Ryan just looked at him. "Alright, fine, it's more like video game-playing and movie-watching, but whatever," Seth conceded. "Seth/Ryan time, man! Like the good old days! Sorry my dorm room doesn't have a pool house, but you haven't had one for a while now, so I guess you're used to it. Dude, my roommate is pretty cool. You'll like him, I think. Please don't beat him up. Or do you not do that now, since you're a mature college man? Oh, Summer called earlier. She says hi. I'm still worried about all the Che wannabes on that bus with her, but she told me I was being an idiot. Have you talked to Taylor this week? What is up with that chick? Man, it's so cool that you're here."

"Seth?" Ryan interrupted his friend's incessant babbling.

"Yeah, man?"

"Shut up."

"That hurts, Ryan."

"I have something to show you." He unzipped his backpack and took out the crumpled piece of paper, handing it over. "Read it." Seth did, and his eyes widened in amazement.

"Dude, is she serious?"

"Dude, I have no idea."


	6. Chapter 6

Just a bit of a teaser chapter…More will be posted soon, I promise!

"She can't possibly think that this is a good idea," Seth said, passing the paper back to Ryan. They were sitting in Seth's extremely messy dorm room, analyzing the crumpled e-mail now sitting in Ryan's lap.

"She can't possibly be thinking at all," Ryan responded. He looked around the room, taking in the sights of Seth's room. It was how he had pictured it; band posters and album covers lined the walls, there was a corkboard covered in pictures of him and Summer (and a few of Ryan and the rest of the family thrown in there for good measure), and magazines and comic books were strewn about the floor. Ryan felt like he was back in Seth's room in the Newport house; it was comforting. His room at the Berkeley house was personality-free and still full of moving boxes; Ryan had promised to help him decorate when he was home for Thanksgiving. He looked down at the sheet of paper in his hands. "She's coming to Rhode Island?" he asked again, to no one in particular.

"She's coming to Rhode Island, buddy," Seth answered. "And we have to see her, otherwise we look like total asses."

"How did she even know I was coming this weekend?" Ryan wondered aloud.

"Two words, my friend – Summer Roberts. She says that she and Taylor have been texting back and forth like crazy," Seth said.

"Can't you keep your girlfriend under control?" an exasperated Ryan half-jokingly asked, while smiling at the thought of Seth having any power in his relationship at all. It just didn't quite work.

"Okay, you deal with her rage blackouts for a few weeks and then see who's still wearing the pants," Seth replied. "Well, we can't sit here and dread the arrival of one Miss Townsend. Let's go out and do something! We can go see "Into the Wild," it just came out. We can get inspiration for manliness!"

"Doesn't he die?" Ryan asked.

"Well, yes, but in a manly fashion," Seth answered. "Okay, seriously. We have five hours until Taylor gets here. What do you want to do?"

"How are your GTA skills holding up?" Ryan grinned mischievously.

"Oh, dude, you are so dead," was Seth's reply.

Several hours and dozens of dead coke dealers later, Ryan and Seth stopped to grab some food. They were walking back to the dorm from the dining hall when Ryan looked at his watch.

"Dude, it's 8:00. She's here," Ryan stated simply.

"Alright, let's go face the Frenchman-marrying, pseudo sleep therapist. Hey, remember those fantasies you used to have about her? So pedestrian. I should tell you some of the dreams I've been having about Summer lately," Seth said. He got a patented Ryan Atwood glare in 

response; a combination of "shut the hell up" and "not helping." Seth got the message immediately.

They arrived at Seth's dorm, and there she was, sitting on the steps, surrounded by her luggage. Ryan's breath caught in his throat when he saw her; all the feelings came rushing back. It was easy to call her a psycho and write her off when their only communication was through e-mail and over the phone. But seeing her in person, all he could think of was making out in a closet in Summer's house. Or her dropping by the restaurant a few times to pick up burritos – way more than she could ever eat. Or the train ride to New York. God, that train ride. She spotted them and stood up.

"Hi Ryan. Hi Seth," she said, almost timidly.

"Taylor," Seth nodded curtly. He was trying to sound tough; he was failing miserably.

"Hi," Ryan said.

"Can we talk?"


End file.
